Ericsson could really just benefit from some belief/confidence. He just doesn't seem vocal enough, he needs to believe he's a stud and he will be. He needs to try to be the anchor in his d pairing no matter who he is paired with. He just tries to play second fiddle too often.

After Ericsson came back from injury Babcock and his teammates were praising him saying how much they needed him on the PK and what a big part of the team he is, I think that gave him some confidence. That's why I think he is going to have a big season. Holland and the coaching staff need to sit him down and say this is where we need you to take steps forward in offence. I truly believe his defence, positioning and everything in his own end is already great, just need to round his game some more. Needs a great first pass, be able to fire off the shot quicker and shoot whenever her can, and work in the offensive zone.

How many points does Ericsson need this year for him to be a complete success?

In order to call out players like that, you have to prove that they haven't been called out before and are being asked to elevate their game today. There was a time when Ian White was elevated to the top line in San Jose. So to call him out to elevate his play is just like San Jose doing it when he was untested. Look at the man's track record.

IMHO, if you are going to call out players to elevate their games, call out Smith and Kindl. Two players who have never been called out before and are now in a position where they have to step up. You don't call out Kronwall or Ian White or Ericsson. Those are three players who have proven they can step their games up in the past, and I have no doubt they will be able to do it again. In situations where they had to be that top line defensemen or be that power play specialist, they have shown they can step up to the challenge.

Again, maybe with the exception of White, it didn't sound to me like he's calling anyone out. That implies that they have tried and failed and are getting taken to task for it.

It sounded more like a statement of what will be required of the Wings defense this coming year to make up for the loss of Lidstrom and Stuart. Not any slam on any of the defensemen.

After Ericsson came back from injury Babcock and his teammates were praising him saying how much they needed him on the PK and what a big part of the team he is, I think that gave him some confidence. That's why I think he is going to have a big season. Holland and the coaching staff need to sit him down and say this is where we need you to take steps forward in offence. I truly believe his defence, positioning and everything in his own end is already great, just need to round his game some more. Needs a great first pass, be able to fire off the shot quicker and shoot whenever her can, and work in the offensive zone.

How many points does Ericsson need this year for him to be a complete success?

Honestly I don't think his season being a complete success has anything to do with points. Sure it'd be great if he put up 30, but that's not going to make or break his season. He needs to continue to be a force on the PK, play solid even strength minutes, and knock the hell out of guys anytime they're around the net or in the corners.

Again, maybe with the exception of White, it didn't sound to me like he's calling anyone out. That implies that they have tried and failed and are getting taken to task for it.

It sounded more like a statement of what will be required of the Wings defense this coming year to make up for the loss of Lidstrom and Stuart. Not any slam on any of the defensemen.

It sounded to me he was slamming on our defense and "calling them out". I guess it depends on how you took it. I don't mind that you took it differently, as it could have went either way. I see what you mean, but I am merely saying that some of these people he is calling out have already demonstrated they can and have stepped up in the past.

So, in other words, none of these defensemen have shown that they can step up in your mind. Correct?

Uh, no, not correct at all

Haroldspests has got where I am coming from. This isn't a "calling out" as you keep saying, its an open ended question - the departure of Lidstrom and Stuart has left a gaping hole in our D-corps, can the players we have left fill that void?

When Stevie, Shanny, Hull etc all left, the question was, could Datsyuk + Zetterberg fill that void? They did, and Pavel I think has far exceeded all our expectations of him. Now its Kronwalls turn to be asked that question, and lets not kid ourselves, its a big question. Instead of matching up against good players every night, he's going to be matching up against great players every night, every shift. Kane and Toews and Nash and Perry and Getzlaf and the Sedins. Thats a big step-up and a lot of pressure. Furthermore, he is now, incredibly, our oldest Defenceman, expected to provide leadership and guidance to the rest of the D-corps. More pressure.

Now he may step up to the plate and prove himself like Pav and Hank did. Or he may show why he's never made it onto the 1st pairing. I love Kronner - when he's playing well and confident he's got a bomb from the blue-line and he seems to block a lot more shots these days, to go with the monster hits we all know and love. But is he a bona fide #1? We just don't know, but we're going to find out.

And there are question marks over the rest of the defence.

White - I stand by my comment. Can he play without Lidstrom? Was he just the last in the long, long line of partners who Lidstrom has made look good over the years? Seriously, go refresh your memory on his list of partners who have had career years, or revival in old age alongside him. From Murphy to Rafalski, through Dandenault, Bykov, Oloasson and Schneider.

Ericsson - has all the tools, but so rarely puts it all together. I'm convinced (as are others on here) that his problems are between his ears. He seems to seriously lack confidence and self-belief. When he's playing poorly you can almost see him thinking about every move he has to make, a luxury not granted to NHL defencemen. Will he gain confidence from playing more minutes and more situations, or will he crumble under the pressure?

Kindl - I stand by my comment, he isn't good enough for the NHL and never will be.

Smith - if he plays up to his potential he is a genuine Calder candidate. But he must cut out the defensive mistakes (at one point he was giving away a goal a game) and badly timed hits/fights/penalties/pinches. otherwise he will start going the way of a LGW whipping boy. How will he cope with NHL grind of playing every other night that wears out so many rookies?

Quincey - again, its all there but so far he hasn't regained the form he showed in LA and Colorado that had all the Holland haters crawling out the woodwork.

Janik - I know the fight fans love his grit, but there is a reason he's a career AHLer, he's just not good enough for the NHL.

And thats our D-corps. RIght now there are more questions that answers. It may end in all-star games and Norris and Calder nominations. Or it may end up with 10th in the conference and meltdown on LGW. For it to be the former they must ALL up their games, and that was my point.

"If I can be totally honest, it's not a lot of guys you get impressed by. Actually, it's no one else but him. From the bench, to see what move he makes -- you're like, 'I wish I could do that.' Sometimes you sit on the bench and just think, 'wow,' and you look over to the other bench and they sit there and shake their heads, too. He has great, great skills. I'm probably not going to play with another player who has the kind of skills he has." Mikael Samuelsson on Pavel Datsyuk

Must admit, it is very exciting though. Just thinking of the absolute best case scenario with all these young players gets me all giddy. Especially Ericsson stepping up and proving everyone wrong. He does have all the tools, can't wait to watch him play next season.